


While He Sleeps

by zebraljb



Series: Tis the Season [10]
Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Future Fic, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 18:36:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16938513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zebraljb/pseuds/zebraljb
Summary: PROMPT - watching him sleepNot the happiest of stories, very emotional.  Please note the archive warning of major character death (though it is NOT Merlin or Eggsy).Merlin's in his seventies and retired from Kingsman. He loves watching his husband sleep, but wakening him to give him some serious news is the hardest mission he's ever had.





	While He Sleeps

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eggsyobsessed](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eggsyobsessed/gifts).



WHILE HE SLEEPS

“What’s all this?” Eggsy stares in surprise as he stands in the doorway of the kitchen.

“Dinner.” Merlin removes his apron and goes to kiss his husband. 

“But…why?”

“Because it is dinner TIME, and that’s what you do at dinner time. You eat dinner. Go wash up.”

“But…you cooked?”

“Eggsy, I might be retired from Kingsman, but that doesn’t mean I’m retired from life.”

“I just…you…” Eggsy looks absolutely flabbergasted. Merlin decides it’s a charming look and actually takes a picture. “You don’t like cooking.”

“No, I don’t. But occasionally one does things they don’t like, for a good reason. You know that.” He kisses him again. “I decided you deserved a home-cooked meal, so here you are.”

“I…” Eggsy shakes his head. “Did I get a concussion in Brussels last week and didn’t realize it?”

“I’m beginning to be offended, lad,” Merlin says with a frown.

“Nah, babe, this is wonderful. The best surprise. I just…wow. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Wash up.” Merlin prods at him until he leaves the kitchen.

Eggsy returns fifteen minutes later in a pair of casual trousers and a jumper. “Did you order in?”

“Agent Galahad,” Merlin warns. “Do not make me punish you.”

“Like when ya punish me, bruv.” Eggsy stands on tiptoe and kisses him. Merlin fights the smile that threatens to creep out. Eggsy’s original accent rarely shows through anymore; at forty-nine years of age he’s finally learned to speak like an educated individual. The estuary only comes out when he’s being playful or when he’s particularly emotional. 

“I do, too, but my heart can’t take too much of that. The sight of you across my lap, arse red from my hand…it does things to me.”

Eggsy growls and kisses him once more. “Glad I can still do things to you.”

“Eggsy Unwin…you’ll be doing things to my heart until the day I die.”

“Which won’t be for a long time so let’s not talk about it.” Eggsy turns away. “I’ll set the table.”

Merlin smiles fondly, leaning on the back of a chair a bit for support. He’d retired from Kingsman five years before, had a hip replaced and undergone triple bypass surgery…but his husband still acted like no time had passed. In his mind, Merlin was still the energetic fifty-year-old he’d met as a Kingsman recruit. “Daisy called me today,” he says. Eggsy shoos him into his chair and serves their meal.

“Oh?” Eggsy asks once they’re seated and eating.

“Yes. She has to go to Paris on Wednesday…meetings at the new store. Asked if I could watch Melissa for her. She’d drop her off Tuesday night. Apparently Nathan can’t stay home from the office.”

“You sure you’re all right with that, babe? Melissa’s a handful.” 

“A day with a three-year-old can’t be any worse than the time I had to rescue Harry from that kidnapper.”

“You were amazing,” Eggsy says with a smile. “Burst through that door like a fucking avenging angel, didn’t you? Never was prouder to call you mine.”

“You definitely showed me how proud you were later.” Merlin’s cheeks turn pink as he remembers exactly how he was rewarded.

“Maybe we could reenact that later?” Eggsy takes Merlin’s hand and kisses his fingers.

“I love your eternal faith in my cock and its ability to rise to the occasion.”

“Your cock is one of my favorite things on the planet.” Eggsy winks. “Do you need me to stay home, though? Maybe I could leave early?”

“That would be nice, quality time with the three of us.” Merlin talks a good game, but he is in his seventies, after all, and Melissa is a curious, energetic child. She loves her “Gwanpa Hamish,” however, and listens to him better than anyone else.

“So fucking proud of Dais.” Eggsy sighs. “Never thought she’d be buying clothes for stores…spent most of her childhood in dirty jeans and jumpers.”

“I believe her flare for the dramatic and sense of style come from her Uncle Harry,” Merlin says with a grin. “And her classy way of putting outfits together comes from Uncle Percival.”

“Oi, speaking of Percy, we should have them over for dinner soon. He keeps talking about playing cards…about time we take some money from them.”

“That does sound enjoyable. It’s a good day when I get to knock Harry down a peg or two.”

They finish their meal and Eggsy brings Merlin his tea and container of medication. Merlin frowns and opens his mouth to speak. “No. Take them all. No skipping. Don’t think I don’t notice.”

“My spy skills are getting rusty.” Merlin rolls his eyes but counts out his pills.

“Noticed you limping a bit,” Eggsy says. “My spy skills are NOT rusty. Need me to rub your back, put ointment on your knee?”

“No. It’s nothing specific, lad, just old age marching across my body.” Eggsy gets the stubborn look on his face. “Nothing a cuddle with you won’t cure.”

“I can most definitely provide that. How about we do it in bed, though…more comfortable for us both.”

“Are you trying to say age is marching across you as well?” Merlin asks with a cocky grin.

“Absolutely not. It’s not marching anywhere. It’s more of a…sneak attack.”

They have a cup of tea in the kitchen and begin the process of closing up the house for the night. Merlin checks the windows and doors, a chore he insists on, to Eggsy’s amusement. Eggsy prepares the coffeemaker for the next morning and gathers together all the laundry. He stands behind Merlin and watches him go up the stairs. “See something you like?” Merlin asks, trying not to grunt as he takes one step at a time.

“Always.”

“I don’t have an arse anymore, lad. I think it fell off sometime in my sixties.”

“You’re still the sexiest silver fox I ever laid eyes on.”

“I think you’re due for an optometry visit.”

Eggsy snorts and pinches his arse. Merlin heads into the en suite and takes care of his nightly procedure, staring at himself in the mirror for a long moment. If nothing else, his eyes are clear and lucid. No cloudiness, just a mass of wrinkles at the edges. He wonders what Eggsy still sees in him. The way he talks, Merlin’s hung the moon AND the sun, and the stars obey his every whim. He can’t help but sigh. He does not deserve the lad…and he still thinks of him as a lad after twenty-five years.

He changes into his pajamas as Eggsy does his own routine, and he’s climbing into bed when Eggsy reappears. “I’m the big spoon tonight,” Eggsy decides.

“I suppose that’s all right,” Merlin replies, like he’d ever say not to the opportunity to have his head on Eggsy’s chest, his strong arms wrapped tightly around him.

They get themselves situated and Eggsy sighs with contentment. “Didya ever think we’d end up this way? Me as second in command at Kingsman, you and Harry and Percival retired, all of us sharing dinners and playing poker?”

“Did I think we’d end up exactly like this? No. Did I think I’d be happily spending the rest of my life with you? Absolutely.” He tilts his head up and smiles into the green eyes. 

“Sap.” Eggsy kisses him before reaching over to turn off the light.

 

Merlin’s phone rings at two in the morning, startling them both from a sound sleep. “Hello?” Merlin mumbles. He’s officially retired from Kingsman, but there are rare times that he’s called for advice or support, which he eagerly offers. Eggsy doesn’t like it, but Merlin’s not going to give up the chance to run one more mission. He listens to the voice on the other end and sits up in bed.

“Who is it?” Eggsy asks sleepily.

“Morgana…a bit of a fuck up in Berlin.” Merlin absolutely cannot tell Eggsy the truth. Not yet. Not when he himself cannot believe it. He swings his legs over the side of the bed and puts on his slippers. He retrieves his dressing gown and puts it on. “I’ll take this in the office. Go back to sleep, lad.”

“Merlin, I don’t like you running around downstairs in the middle of the night. I’ll come with you.”

“I’m not “running around” anywhere, you fool. Go back to sleep.” Merlin gives Eggsy a tender kiss. “I love you.” He stands back up. “Now, you were saying, Morgana?”

When he comes back upstairs thirty minutes later, his heart is in his feet. He plods along the hallway, dreading speaking with his husband for the first time in his life. He enters the bedroom and turns on the bedside lamp, staring at Eggsy for a long moment. He looks younger in sleep, almost as young as when he first drove Merlin insane as a recruit. His face is smooth and handsome, pink lips fluttering a bit as he sleeps. They lived through Harry’s death, saving the world, Harry’s resurrection, and finally had fallen in love. This, however, was the worst thing by far that they’d ever face together.

Eggsy rolls over and squints against the light. “Hamish? You all right?” He sits up quickly. “Is it your heart?”

“Yes, but not in the way you think. From a cardiac standpoint I’m fine.” He sits on the edge of the bed and takes Eggsy’s hand.

Eggsy sniffs. “Is that scotch? You were drinking without me?”

“I needed it.”

“Was the mission that bad?” 

“It wasn’t Morgana on the phone, leannan. It was Michael.”

“Michael? Percival?” Eggsy tilts his head. “What did he want at this hour?”

“He…” Merlin swallows hard. “It’s Harry.”

“What about him? Christ, did he fall out of bed again? I told Michael to get those kid railings on the side of the bed,” Eggsy jokes, although his voice starts to shake a bit.

“No. He…he’s gone, Eggsy.”

“Gone? Where?”

“Eggsy…”

Eggsy jumps out of bed, eyes wide. “If he left Michael, I am gonna find his posh arse an’ kick it six ways ta Sunday.” The accent comes flying back in full force. “Ain’t no one else ever gonna put up with ‘arry’s peacocking shite.”

“Michael said something made him wake up. He turned over and Harry was still. Too still. He…he apparently passed in his sleep.”

“No. NO. He didn’t pass in his sleep, because Haz wouldn’t do that. You think he’d go out like that, just all quiet, no one knowin’? Because that’s now how Harry fuckin’ Hart operates. He’s all flash an’ attention. If he’d died in tha field, it woulda been in a fuckin’ rainstorm of bullets. Now? He’d run inta tha street an’ save a kid from bein’ hit by a car. Not like this. So he ain’t passed fuckin’ nowhere.” Eggsy begins to pace.

“Eggsy,” Merlin says in a strangled tone. He gets to his feet and tries to hold Eggsy, but he’s shoved away.

“Michael ain’t no doctor. Harry’s just sleepin’ hard. He’s earned it, ain’t he? What tha fuck does Michael know? Ain’t never been good enough fer ‘arry, anyway.”

“Eggsy Unwin,” Merlin says in a stern tone.

“He wouldn’t do this ta me, Hamish. Wouldn’t go without sayin’ goodbye. We…we’s goin’ ta Vegas next year, remember? He promised. He promised ta take me when I turned fifty. Me an’ him. Like…like a dad an’ son, ya know? A special trip. He promised. He ain’t never broke a promise ta me since that day he went ta Kentucky.” Eggsy stops walking. He looks as young as he had while sleeping. “He wouldn’t do that to me, Hamish. He wouldn’t…leave me.”

“Oh, leannan.” Merlin finally gets his arms around his husband and barely makes it to the bed with him before Eggsy collapses against him. Merlin’s own heart is breaking; Harry Hart was his oldest friend. But Harry’s held a special place in Eggsy’s heart as long as he’s known him, and he knew this would crush his husband when the time came. “He went quietly, in his sleep. For all his flash and strutting about, Harry was a true gentleman, and a gentleman always knows when it’s time to leave.”

“I didn’t get ta…didn’t get ta tell him goodbye, or that I loved him.”

“Oh, Eggsy, do you think Harry really didn’t know?” Merlin whispers.

Eggsy sobs on Merlin’s shoulder for a long moment. Tears run down Merlin’s cheeks as well but he doesn’t wipe them away. His arms are around his husband, holding him close. “Michael,” Eggsy says finally. “Fuck, Michael. Is he all right? Do we need ta go over there?”

“Not tonight. We’ll go over later today,” Merlin says. “He needs some time to himself.”

“I love you, Hamish. Don’t think cuz I love…loved…’arry, that I don’t…”

“Quiet, lad. I know how you loved him, and how you love me. I love you, too. Just try to settle down.”

“Wouldn’t have nothin’ if it weren’t fer ‘arry. Wouldn’t have Kingsman…wouldn’t have you. I don’t think I ever said thank you to him.” Eggsy clutches Merlin.

“He knew, Eggsy. I promise he knew. And you’re the one who prodded him into asking Michael out on that first date, so I’d say it’s fairly even.” Merlin runs his hand through the thinning hair. “Please try and calm down.”

“I love you, Hamish. More than anything in the world.”

“I know.” Merlin holds him tight, the sun coming up before Eggsy drifts off into a fitful sleep.


End file.
